


his heart falters

by solidteflon



Category: Hadestown - Mitchell
Genre: F/M, takes place during doubt comes in
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 04:03:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15259032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solidteflon/pseuds/solidteflon
Summary: orpheus is lost.





	his heart falters

the tunnel lies ahead, dark & cold & foreboding. orpheus grasps the strap of his lyre, knuckles white with terror as he tries to keep them from shaking. his legs feel wobbly & it takes all his willpower to keep going, to not look back & see if his beloved is behind him. what if this is just some cruel joke that hades has put together? coming into hadestown, he was consumed with grief, a deep sadness that shook him to the very core. but now he has hope.  **now he has something to lose**.  & that is  _much_  scarier. he climbs the steep tunnel to the mortal world, toward the sun, toward the warmth, toward freedom & a happy life with eurydice. he strains to hear her footsteps, her breaths,  _anything._  not a single sound reaches his ears. he takes a breath & sings, the sound bouncing throughout the cavern.

**❛  doubt comes in & all falls silent, it’s as though you aren’t there…where are you? where are you now?  ❜**

silence reigns. orpheus wonders if she’s even  _following_  him. she could be back in hadestown, working away to keep her contract up. his confidence wavers. he should have helped her during the hard winter months, should have put  _her_ first instead of his songs, tales of a love tainted by power & corruption. how could he be so blind? he broke his promises of protection, shelter, food. all the things scarce in this cold world. she was hungry & he was infatuated. infatuated with the beauty, with the hope that if everyone dreamt hard enough the world would be a better place. oh, how naive he was before this harrowing journey to the land of the dead.

**❛  doubt comes in & my heart falters & forgets the songs it sung…where are you? where are you now?  ❜**

finally, after what seems like hours, the warm glow of daylight is seen at the mouth of the tunnel.  _just keep walking_ , he tells himself.  _only a few more steps until we are reunited once more._  but his willpower crumbles. he stops in his tracks & whispers her name, which immediately gets lost in the silence. no answer. he feels entirely alone. the silence grates on his ears. orpheus does the unthinkable. he turns.

standing there just a few feet away, the color slowly returning to her face, is eurydice, his beloved. they lock eyes & reach out for each other, but she is swept away from him. he screams, the most unmusical sound he ever made, & is thrown from the tunnel, the entrance immediately sealing shut. tears pouring down his cheeks, he pounds on the stone, screaming until his throat is raw. he tries to play his lyre, but his fingers feel like lead on the strings. the entrance to hadestown remains shut.

orpheus is alone.


End file.
